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J'. A. HOUSE.

SEWING-MACHINE. Y N0.175,463. Patented March 28,1876.

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A SEWING-MACHINE. No.175,463. Patented March 28,1876.

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i SEWING-MACHINE. No.,175,463, y l Patent-ed March 2.8 1876.

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MFEYERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAPMER WASHINGTON D C SEWING-MACHINE. No.175,463, PatenteMarch 28;'1876.

WITNESSES IN VEJvToR jl, afa/ne@ 1f-Hazme.

I n Mbxw I N.PEYERS. PNOTO-LITHDGHAPNER. WASHINGTON. D. C.

STATES PATENT EECE.

JAMES A. HOUSE, OE BRIDGEPOET, CONN., AssIeNoE To THE WHEELER a WILSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or sAMEPLACE.

IMPROVEMENT iN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,463, dated March 2'8, 1876 application filed December 11, 1875.

To` all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. HOUSE, of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification:

My invention more especially relates to sewing-machines of the Wheeler 8v Wilson type, particularly adapted for sewing leather and heavy fabrics, and constitutes an improvement on the machine shown and describedin Letters Patent of the United YStatesgranted to me Marchv 5, 1872, No. 124,360, and December 16, 1873, N o. 145,570.

The subject-matter claimed hereinafter specifically will be designated.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent my invention as embodied in the best way now known to me, Figure 1 represents a side view of the machine, partly in section, on the line a: x of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 represents a bottom-plan View of the apparatus, partly in section, on the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 repre sents a vertical transverse section of' the machine, on the line z z of Fig. 1, with the needlearm and its driving-pitman omitted; Fig. 4, a vertical transverse section through the end ot' the take-up arm, on the line zl 21 of Fig. 5; Fig. 5, a side view of the end of the take-up arm; Fig. 6, a side view of a portion of the thread-guide; Fig. 7, a vertical section therethrough, on the line z2 z2 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 represents a vertical section through a portion of the tension apparatus, on the line z z3 of Fig. 9, which represents a face view of said apparatus. Fig. 10 represents a side view of a portion of the machine, partly in section. onthe line y1 y1 of Fig. 1l, showing a modified form of take-up apparatus; and Fig. 1l, a vertical section therethrough, on the line y2 y2 of Fig. 10, with its needle-arm and driving-pitman omitted. Fig. 12 is a side view, showing the details of the pressure-spring. Fig. 13 is a front view of the upper portions of the pressure-bar and needle-bar. Fig. 14 represents a Vertical transverse section through the machine, on the line w w of Fig. 2, showing the details of the feed mechanism; and Fig. 15 is a similar section on the line'vo of Fig. 2Fig.

16 represents a plan View of the rear portion of the bracket-arm and needlelever; and Fig. 17, a transverse sectional view of the machine, onthe line u u of Fig. 16. I e

The meehanism is mounted upon a frame, A, supporting a bracket-arm, B. A shaft, (J, driven by power applied in any Suitable Wellknown Way ,carries a cam or eccentric,ll), which, thr u'gh a pitman, d, and ball-andsoeket joint, d1, vibrates a needle-arm, D', rocking on its fulcriim cl2 on the bracket-arm B, and linked at its forward end to a needlebar, E, reciprocating endwise in guides e in the bracket-arm. By reference to Figs. 1, 16, and 17, it Will be observed that that portion of the needle-lever in front of its fulcrumlies in the same vertical plane as thedriving-shaft, While that portion in rear of its fnlcrumd2 lies in a plane outside ot' this vertical line, the offset amounting, in a full-sir'ed machine, to about a halt'inch.

By this mode ot' construction I aan enabled not only to provide a space between the bracket-arm and the rear portion of the needle-lever, in which the take-up may oscillate, but I am also enabled to impart a variable motion to the needle at each end of its stroke. the turn at the bottom stroke 'ot' the needle being quicker than that at its top, while the up and down strokes a're made at equal speed and as it is one of the peculiarities of the organization of this machine that the take-np retracts to complete the stitch while the needle is at the top of its stroke and out of the cloth, I am enabled by the construction above described to gain morel time for the action of the take-up without diminishing the speed of the machine. n

The driving-shaft C also' carries another cam, F, whichvibrates a take-up arm, F', on its fulcrum f on the'bracket-arm. The front end of this take-up arm or lever is provided with an eye or loop, f1, through which the upper thread passes, as well as with the roller f2, over which said thread runs.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, the take-up cam is shownv as grooved and acting upon an oscillating tappet, f3, mounted on the lower part f4 ot' a take-up lever, the fulcrumfof which is in the form of a rock-shaft,

the parts being so constructed vas to bringy the tale-iiparmfl" close to the bracketarm B, and between it andthe needle-arm.

Figs. 10 and l1 show a modified form of co1 struction, in which a {Hain-surfaced cam,V

F, is used, which acts directly upon the end ot' a link, f4, connected with the crank on the rock-shaft f, which operates the take-up arm I1" against the tension of a spring, f5, the pressure of which may be varied by inserting the spring in one of a series of holes in the bracket-arm. In this form of construction the take-up is moved up slowly by the cam, and thrown forward quickly by the. spring, when permitted so fo do by the cam.

The cam is made adjustable around its shaft by well-known means, so as to secure the proper relative adjustment of the needle, the revolving hook, and theI take-up arm. In practice I prefer the grooved cam, as by it I am enabled to impart a wider range of mo:

tion, and in a more positive manner, than that shown in Figs. l() and 11. ,In my patents before mentioned it will be observed that the needle-lever was driven by a grooved cam, and the take-up also operated by a cam.

By driving the take-up arm by the grooved cam shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a wider range of motion is obtained with a smaller periphery ot' cam than could be done by the use of an eccentric such as shownin Figs. 10 and 11; but this deficiency I have compensated by the link and crank arrangement of the take-up shown inthe last-named figures. The shaft C also imparts a differential movement topa shaft, O', carrying a revolving hook, I, in which a bobhin, I', is secured. The machine is also provided with a four-motion feed.

In my patents before mentioned the feed moved the fabricin the same direction as that in which the hook rotated, the bracket-arm standard and driving connections in those machines being on the left of the operator when' it worked. j Y

I find it preferable, in practice, to reverse that arrangement, and the present machine is consequently so organized that the cloth is fed in a direction opposite to that of the rotation of thejhook. In the old machines the upward and forward movements ofthe feed could be effected 'by'a single cam, but'such arrangement would be impracticable with thepresent feed. I therefore mount upon the forward section C' of the driving-shaft two cams, 7a k1, acting upon the feed-bar-J, the former being thefeed-cam and the latter the lifting-cam. rIfhe yslide-'bar J reciproca-tes and rocks on a fulcrum-pin',j, and isV held in place by a guideblock,j'. The cam 7c, in its forward motion,

. acts on a step, k2, on the sliding frame to give the forward feed, while the cam k1 lifts the feed-bar J by acting directly upon it. The feed-bar is retracted, when released from the cam, by a spring, 7a3, and as this spring lies below the fulcrum-pin j, it also serves to draw down as well as to retract the feed-bar. The length of the back stroke of the feed is reguvlated by a cam or, stop lever, J', the forward feed always'remaining the same. The other details'of the hook and bobbin, heilig similar to those shown in my former patents, require no special description here. l

The needle works, as usual, through a presser foot, G', mounted on the presser-arm G, movable freely endwise in its bearings in the bracket-arm B, and pressed down to its work by an adjustable spring, M, and lifted, when required, by a self-locking cam-lever, M1, rocking on its fulcruln m on the bracket-arm, and acting on the spring. The tension of the spring is regulated by a set-screw, M2, passing through a lug, m', on the bracket-arm, and

bearing on the pressure-spring. The presserfoot mechanism above described is substantially the same as that shown in my patent ot' December 16, 1873, and, ofcourse, is not herein claimed. The thread passes from the spool N over the thread-check o, once around the tension-pulley O, thence around the take-up roller f2, thence over thc guide-roller p, the guardi? of which keeps it in place, thence down through a thread-guide, 7', on the needlebar, thence through the eye of the needle. The bobbin is supplied with thread as usual.

The hook is driven with a speed variable relatively to that of the driving-shaft, although completing its revolution in the same time, as explained in my former patents. The needlearm, at proper intervals, moves downward, piercing the fabric and earring down its loop of thread to be engaged by the hook, and rises quickly and pauses slightly at the end of its stroke, the take-up tightening the stitch during the latter portion of the rise of the needlefand also during the rst part of the descent of the -needle to form the succeeding stitch, whereas, in my patents above mentioned, the pause of the needle in its'upward movement took place while it was still in the fabric. I am consequently enabled, with my present invention, to attain a higher speed than has been practicable with the former machines.

I claim as of my own inventiony 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the driving-shaft revolving with a uniform speed, the hook revolving at a variable speed relatively thereto, the driving-cam, its pitman-connection, and the needle-lever, with its short arm forming an oset from the long arm, and occupying a different vertical plane from that passing longitudinally through the driving-shaft, whereby a space is leftbetween the needle-lever and the bracket-arm for the play of the take-up lever, and a longer pause is given to the needle at the end of its upward stroke than at the end of the down-stroke, for the purposesneedle-lever,witl1 its short arm forming an offset from the long arm, and oceupyingaJ different vertical piane from that passing lougitudinaily through -`the driving-shaffthe. grooved cam on the driving-shaft, and the take-up lever vibrated thereby, whereby the take-up may be located between the needlelever and bracket-arm, and emplete the stitch during the elevation of the needle.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntosubscribed my neme. Y

JAMES A. HOUSE.

Witnesses:

F. HURD, A. R. LAGEY. 

